Beginning Maxscript

Variables

So, open 3ds Max and open up the Script Editor as well as the Listener. You can do this quickly by right clicking the little box in the lower left corner of the Max interface. Now, before we start anything I'm going to introduce you to your new best friend. Click in either the Editor or the Listener and then press F1. This brings up the online Maxscript Reference. If you're going to learn Maxscript, you're going to spend a fair amount of time here. One of the best ways to use the help system is to go to the search tab. You will find your answers faster here than sifting through the contents or index.

When I first got into 3D I don't think I knew what a script was. In my life I can recall taking two very basic programming classes, but by the time I was finally exposed to Maxscript, I could only remember that there were such things as variables, loops, if statements, and that you could 'print' stuff. I knew nothing of common syntax, nothing about functions... it was all Greek to me. And there's STILL a LOT that I don't know. That puts me in the unique position to help out a lot of people, because I'm not the guy who assumes you already know something about programming and writes a post with all kinds of code and leaves you completely flustered. I will be writing this article in a language that just about anyone can understand.

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